recently president obama called off planned talks with vladimir putin. one reason was the russian decision to grant temporary asylum to former cia contractor edward snowden who fled the u.s. after leaking government secrets. despite agreements to reduce nuclear weapons, america's plans for a missile defense shield on russia's doorstep has anchored moscow. the most contentious issue is how to resolve the debt the conflict in syria. russia is a key ally of president assad's regime and the u.s. wants him out. the russians are optimistic, so much so their foreign minister was even taking john kerry's advice. >> how believe they can make a difference in russian-american relations if we act as adults. that is what we're trying to do. >> senior officials might have met in washington, but the fact president obama called off a planned summit with vladimir putin is a sign of underlying tensions. many say this is not just about politics, but personality. and as long as barack obama and leonard could remain in office, tensions between america and russia will continu